The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor device, in particular to ESD (Electro Static Discharge) protection.
In a semiconductor device, an electrostatic protection element is provided to prevent internal circuits from being broken by static electricity. For example, an electrostatic protection element formed by a diode, a thyristor (SCR: Silicon Controlled Rectifier), or the like is coupled between a wiring to which a power supply potential is supplied (a power supply potential line) and a wiring to which a ground potential is supplied (a ground potential line). When static electricity is applied between the power supply potential line and the ground potential line, the static electricity is discharged through the electrostatic protection element and no excessive voltage is applied to the internal circuits, so that it is possible to prevent the internal circuits from being broken.
Further, in a semiconductor device in which a power supply system is separated, the ground potential line is also divided into a plurality of systems, and a predetermined number of diodes may be coupled in inverse parallel between the divided ground potential lines.
In this respect, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-80472 discloses a configuration in which a bidirectional diode is provided between the divided ground potential lines to secure a discharge path.